The Last Year
by Evelle
Summary: The Four Elementals…three have disappeared. Can Lily and James save the last one and bring it to its rightful owner? LJ Seventh Year
1. Introduction

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. They belong to J.K. Rowling. A/N: This is a redone version of Chapter 1. The last one was really messed up.

Chapter One: Prologue (sort of)

Descriptions: Lily Rose Evans, age:16, b-day:11/4, height:5"3'. Wavy auburn hair, green eyes. Hates James Potter (will it change?). New Head Girl. Top student, especially good at charms. Friends: Bella Fleen, Alice Semes, Emmeline Vance, and (later) Patricia Atner. House: Gryffindor.

James Brian (A/N: don't ask)Potter, age:16, b-day:9/24, height:5"7'. Messy black hair, hazel eyes. Has a crush on Lily Evans. New Head Boy, Chaser and Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Top student, good at transfiguration. Friends: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew (they call themselves the Marauders). House: Gryffindor.

Isabella Anne Fleen, age:17, b-day:7/12, height:5"4'. Straight brown hair, brown eyes. Has a crush on Sirius Black. House: Gryffindor.

Sirius Black, age:16, b-day:2/11, height:5"8'. Black hair, brown eyes. Popular, though has never had a steady girlfriend. Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. House: Gryffindor.

Alice Cindy Semes, age:16, b-day:4/16, height:5"1'. Wispy blonde hair, hazel eyes. House: Gryffindor.

Remus Lupin, age:16, b-day:12/10, height:5"5'. Light brown hair, brown eyes. Prefect. House: Gryffindor.

Emmeline Zoë Vance, age:16, b-day:9/7, height:5"3'. Dirty blonde hair, light green eyes. Prefect. Keeper on the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team. House: Ravenclaw.

Peter Pettigrew, age:16, b-day:5/13, height:5"2'. Dirty blonde hair, brown eyes. House: Gryffindor.

Patricia Atner, age:16, b-day:10/7, height:5"5'. Curly blonde hair, blue eyes. She is 1 of quadruplets. (Patricia, Penelope, Perrinda, and Pindovia.)

Severus Snape, age:16, b-day:1/16, height:5"5'. Oily black hair, brown eyes. Prefect. Friends: Gregory Rosier, Zach Avery, Bellatrix Black, Rolduphus Lestrange, Kent Wilkes. House: Slytherin.

Setting: (mostly) Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

James, Lily, Bella, Sirius, Alice, and Remus are visiting Bella's house. It is August 28th, 1976. Just that morning, a "Diamond" had been stolen. Everyone is seated around a table in the Fleen's library while Remus holds a book. Leaning forward toward the light, he reads: 


	2. The Four Elemental Stones

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you see that is in the Harry Potter books. J.K. Rowling owns them. 

Summary: The Four Elementals...three have disappeared. Can Lily and James save the last one and bring it to its rightful owner?

A/N:Don't mind the weird (and possibly useless) powers that 3 of these stones possess. Thanks to my first(and only) reviewer, Wild Magelet! You made my day!

The Four Elemental Stones

Once there was a powerful wizard named Leroy Ledenhurl. In 1146, he was 55 years old. He wanted to pass his powers on when he died, so he made 4 stones. Ledenhurl called them the Elementals. They were a Turquoise, an Emerald, a Ruby, and a Diamond. Each stone contained some of his powers. On his deathbed, he told the doctors that The Elementals would disappear if not given to their rightful heir "in time". Ledenhurl was delirious at the time, so the doctors did not take him seriously.

The Turquoise

Given to the Gershire family. The Turquoise was the least powerful of the Elementals. Its powers included good luck, a long life, and protection from getting wet. It was stolen from George Gershire III on a hunting trip in 1342. The thief was unknown. George Gershire didn't think the Turquoise was worth looking for, so he never set out an investigation. That same year he went bankrupt and was forced to sell his castle. Even then, he was in debt. George Gershire finally died of hunger in 1344. Some say Leroy Ledenhurl was getting revenge on George because he didn't look for the Turquoise.

The Emerald

Given to the Olive family. The Emerald's powers include the power to create an impenetrable shield, good luck, and the power to make plants grow extra fast. John Olive sold it to Natalie Tate in 1402 in desperation for some money. He had gambled away all of his possessions and didn't have a Knut left. His sister, Mary Olive was appalled by her brothers behavior, therefore she changed her name to Mary Tendence. Meanwhile, Natalie Tate seemed to run into bad luck everywhere. Her husband lost his job just 1 week after she bought the Emerald. Her 4 year-old daughter died of pneumonia. Tate finally committed suicide after her husband left her, he house burned down for the 3rd time, and her family turned against her. The Emerald was not mentioned in her or her ex- husband's will. Some say it was in her house when it was burned down.

The Ruby

Given to the Tymphone family. The Ruby's powers include good luck, telepathy, and the power to eat fire as food. Helena Tymphone gave the Ruby to Edward Capere when they got married. When she died in 1657, Capere put it in a wooden box and sank it in the sea. It reminded him too much of her, Capere said. Capere died 1 year later, in 1658 of "grief", they say. Some people believe that the Ruby has cursed that part of the sea. It is true that many accidents happen there.

The Diamond

The last and most powerful of the Elementals, the diamond was given to Ledenhurl's oldest daughter, Gwendolyn. Its powers include good luck, the power to cast spells without an incantation, immortality (Leroy Ledenhurl had this power, but chose not to use it), and even the power to not have oxygen and still survive. Gwendolyn's brother, Florence, stole it, thinking it should have been his, as that was the custom. He was a male, and all family wealth was supposed to go to a male if possible. Florence passed it down to his son, which passed it to their son, and so on. Gwendolyn married and her name was now Gwendolyn Henco. What became of the Diamond is not clear, but it was recently given to the Museum of Magical Artifacts by the order of Celina Stanton's will. No one knows who is(are) the descendent(s) of Gwendolyn Henco, but they say Leroy Ledenhurl's spirit is out there, waiting for the right moment to get revenge on his son.

These stones had many powers, but not everyone could use them. No one, even now, knows just how to use the powers that these mystical gems possess.

A/N: So what do you think? It's not as long as the first one, but it is highly more important in the story (hint hint). Please read and review!


	3. A Peculiar Dream

Disclaimer: I own only the plot (well, not even all of that...), and some characters that aren't in the Harry Potter books. J.K. Rowling owns the rest.

A/N: Please please please please review!

**Chapter 3- A Peculiar Dream**

"Cool," Sirius said.

"Not if the last ones been stolen, no," Bella said.

"Good point," Sirius said.

"I wonder who stole it," Lily said thoughtfully.

"Don't we all?" James pointed out.

"I wasn't talking to you," Lily said huffily and left the room.

"What is wrong with her?" James said, more to himself than anyone else.

* * *

James lay in bed, unable to sleep for the second time in 2 days. Oh sure, it had been an interesting day, with the stolen diamond and all, but that wasn't why he couldn't sleep. The thing was, Lily seemed even more hostile to him since the summer.

Sighing, he got up and lit a candle. James took out a black book from his trunk. It was labeled: My Thought Book. Some people may have thought it was girly to keep this kind of thing, but it was a good way to examine ones thoughts, almost like a pensieve. Turning to a fresh page, he wrote:

Hello Thought Book,  
Today was an interesting day. In my Hogwarts letter, I found out that I'm the new captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team and Head Boy. The last bit's a little surprising. I'm not exactly the Head Boy type. I wasn't even a prefect!  
Anyway, guess who's Head Girl? Lily Evans. Yes, Lily Evans, the girl who I've liked since, oh, forever. She hates me even more now, if that's possible. Hey, it's not my fault she's Head Girl and I'm Head Boy. Sometimes I wonder why I like her so much. I mean, of all the girls at Hogwarts, I have to pick the one that despises me. Lily's not the prettiest (close, though). She's not the most popular. She's not even the nicest (at least not to me). So why do I like her so much? The thing is, I have no clue.  
But let's think about something else. Like the Diamond. It's one of the 4 Elementals. This guy named Leroy Ledenhurl created them in 1146. It was stolen from the Museum of Magical Artifacts. I wonder who stole it. It sure would be cool to catch them.

James Potter

James blew out his candle and laid down. He was asleep in minutes...

_I have chosen you and one other...Bring my diamond to its rightful heir...Work together, set aside your differences... My soul shall never rest until the diamond is purified...For 8 centuries it has been stolen and deceived... but no matter...you will find and return it to its heir... I repeat to its ONE and ONLY rightful heir... Time is short; you have only 9 months before my precious diamond disappears forever... like the others have already done..._

Lily woke up with a start.

That was a weird dream, she thought, running her fingers through her hair. Then she noticed a piece of parchment lying on her bedside table. _Wait_, Lily thought, _that wasn't there before_. She got up and looked at it. A chill went down her spine. Written in an unfamiliar handwriting were the exact words that she had dreamed.

"What the-," she said softly to herself.

Lily looked at the paper from all angles, hoping to see a signature or something of the sort. When she flipped it around, she gasped. Written clearly in her own handwriting in the middle of the page were the words James Potter.

_Is this a trick?_ Lily thought.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" she asked "It's Bella, Mum says breakfast's ready," Bella said from outside the door.

"I'll be right there," Lily told her. She quickly put the piece of parchment under her pillow before hurrying downstairs.

James sat at the table, poking at his food. He wasn't really hungry. The dream he had last night was quite unusual, and what had been on his bedside table didn't make things clearer. Why had his dream been written on that piece of parchment? More importantly, who had written it? Plus, he knew he hadn't written Lily Evans on that piece of parchment. He didn't even use that type of quill. Frowning, James left the table, muttering that he wasn't really hungry.

_Now why is Potter leaving the table?_ Lily thought, _Not really hungry? Ha! I bet he's up to something._

"Where are you going?" She asked before she could stop herself.

"None of your business, Evans," Sirius replied for James.

"I don't remember asking you, Black," Lily said, "And furthermore, I know you two are planning something, so spill!"

"We're not planning anything, Lily," James said firmly.

"Since when did you call me Lily?" Lily asked menacingly.

"Well, hmm, it is your name, isn't it?" James was mad. He hated when Lily assumed he was up to something.

Lily opened her mouth furiously, but no sound came out.

"Look, if you'd really like to know, I had a bad night, ok?" James said angrily, "Id like a moment to think, thank you very much."

"Now, don't fight," Mrs. Fleen said sternly.

"May I be excused?" James said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Say please."

"May I please be excused?"

"Ok."

* * *

James went upstairs. Lily followed him with one swift movement. "Lily..." Alice started, but Lily shook her head.

"What did you follow me for?" James asked when he saw Lily coming up the stairs to him.

"Well," Lily started, looking very uncomfortable, "You said-,"

"What did I do now?" James said exasperatedly. "You said that, well, you had a 'bad night'," Lily said.

"And your point would be?" James said impatiently, he wanted to examine that parchment a bit farther.

"Well..." Suddenly, it dawned on him.

"Wait a minute..." James started, talking to himself more than anyone, "Did you have that strange dream too?"

"Well, it depends on what that 'strange dream' was," She said, "Wait here, I'll be right back."

Standing there, James realized he had just managed to have an actual conversation with Lily without her shouting an insult at him. He was definitely making progress.

Lily was back. She was holding a piece of parchment. She showed it to James.

"That looks exactly like the one on my table!!!" James exclaimed.

She flipped it around so he could see the back.

"Except for that part," He said.

Lily eyed James suspiciously.

"How do I know it's not a trick?" Lily said accusingly, "What if you're doing to force me into your miserable company?"

James sighed, There goes my insult-free conversation, he thought.

"Look, I swear I had nothing to do with it!"

"Don't tell me. Show me," She said.

"Well, I think I have something that might convince you." James said. He disapparated and apparated back in a few seconds.

In his hand dangled a piece of parchment just like Lily's. The same verse- thing was written on it in the same handwriting. The only exception was that instead of saying James Potter on the back, it said Lily Evans.

Lily didn't look convinced. "So what?" She said, "It would have been simple to copy the same thing on to 2 pieces of parchment, and it's not exactly hard to write my name in your own handwriting, is it?"

James opened his mouth to say "What about my name in your handwriting?", but Lily wasn't finished.

"Oh yes, this seems like a dumb thing you would do, pretending that we were 'chosen'. Well, too bad, because I'm not falling for your stupid trick, no way," She finished in one breath.

Lily stomped off to her room.

James blinked, then he went downstairs. Everyone had finished breakfast by then, and Mrs. Fleen was asking if they wanted to go to Diagon Alley to buy their new supplies. Everyone, including James, agreed.

"Where's Lily?" Alice asked.

"Up in her room," James muttered.

Alice gave James a questioning look before going upstairs to talk to Lily. They came down a few minutes later, ready to go. The trip to Diagon Alley went by fast, nothing interesting happened. The week after passed all too quickly, and soon it was September 1st.

A/N: Soooooooo, ya like? It's the first chapter where something actually happens. I understand the characters may be a bit out of character, but I had a temporary writers block when I was writing this. I won't update unless I get 2 reviews!


	4. Hogwarts Sweet Hogwarts

Disclaimer: Do you really think I'm J.K. Rowling? You do? Well, I'm not.

A/N: Here's the fourth chapter...

**Hogwarts Sweet Hogwarts**

On the morning of September 1st, Lily got up early. She had already eaten breakfast and was reading quietly when everyone else entered the dining room.

"Hey, Lily," Bella greeted, yawning.

"Hey," Lily replied, not taking her eyes of her book, which was conveniently turned upside-down.

"Sooo... What's up?" Bella asked.

"What do you mean? Nothing's up," Lily said quickly, putting her book away.

"Well, let's see," Bella said, "You get up way too early in the morning, to do what? Read a book in your bathrobe. Does that count?"

"I'm just...I'm fine, Bella," Lily said, "I...woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep. Now get off my back."

That was partly true. She _had _woke up early and tried to get back to sleep, but couldn't. It had been roughly a week since the dream, yet Lily was still brooding over it. A part of her said _get over it, Evans, it was just a stupid prank! Don't let Potter get to you!_ But a little voice in the other, sensible part of Lily's brain said _this isn't like the other pranks the Marauders play. They gain absolutely nothing from it, and it wasn't humiliating or anything._ Lily tried to push that thought away as she ate her breakfast.

At 10:30, everyone set out for King Cross Station. They took the Knight Bus, much to everyone's displeasure. They arrived at King Cross Station at 10:55.

"Hurry up! We're going tobe late!" Lily shouted to her friends.

"We're coming!" Bella shouted back.

They ran through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. A moment later, James and Sirius were there, quickly followed by Remus. The boys saw their other friend, Peter Pettigrew and ran to meet him.

In the meantime, Lily, Bella and Alice and found Emmeline Vance, their friend in Ravenclaw.

"Hey Lily, Bella, Alice!" She said. "You'd better come quick, the train's about to leave."

The girls climbed onto the train just in time.

"Whew, that was close," Bella said.

They managed to find an empty compartment. Lily didn't sit, though.

"I need to go to the prefect compartment. The head boy and I are supposed to give directions to the prefects," She explained." I'll be back in a while."

"Who's Head Boy?" Asked Emmeline.

Lily didn't say anything. She looked like she was trying not to blow up. Instead, she walked out of the compartment and slammed the door.

"What's wrong with_ her_?" Emmeline asked curiously.

"The Head Boy is James Potter," Alice said, "Lily thinks Dumbledore's gone crazy." Emmeline giggled.

Suddenly, the compartment door slid open. On the other side were 4 identical girls. They all had blue eyes and golden curls.

"Hi!" said one of them. "I'm Patricia Atner, and these are my sisters, Penelope, Perinda, and Pindovia. We're quadruplets. Is there enough room for all of us?"

"No, but we do have 1 seat left," Bella said, gesturing to the seat in front of her.

"Thanks," Patricia said, "I think I'll take it." Her sisters left and Patricia sat down.

"Hey, I'm Bella, and this is Emmeline and Alice," Bella said.

"So, I haven't seen _you_ around before. Are you and your sisters transfer students?" Emmeline asked.

"Yep," Patricia said, "We were supposed to go to Hogwarts, but they made a mistake and mixed it up with Hagnats. It was a nightmare. Hags everywhere." She shuddered.

"What year are you in?"

"Um, well, we didn't have years at Hagnats, but I'm 17 in October," Patricia said, shrugging.

"Then you're in 7th year with us!" Emmeline exclaimed.

It started to rain as the day progressed. At one, the food trolley came and the girls bought themselves lunch. Lily came back at one-thirty.

"I'm back," Lily said, "And- oh, hello, I don't believe I know you..."

"This is Patricia Atner, and she's going to be at Hogwarts this year. She's one of quadruplets." Bella explained.

"Hi," Lily said. "I'm Lily Evans. Nice to meet you."

"Lily's Head Girl and a top student," Bella said proudly. Lily blushed. Patricia smiled.

"I'm honored." She said.

"Anyway," Lily said, "I think Potter and his little goons are up to something really big. They're leading us into a false sense of security."

"Who?" Patricia asked, looking confused.

"James Potter," Bella said, "Head Boy, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, top student, leader of the Marauders...blah, blah, blah."

Patricia laughed. Lily looked sour.

"He's in love with Lily," Emmeline explained, giggling.

"Not that she'll ever like him back," Bella teased, "Right Lily?"

Lily rolled her eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes," Bella said, a grin flitting across her face. Lily threw a chocolate frog at her and missed.

"You need to practice on your aim, Lily," said a male voice from outside the compartment.

"What do you want, Potter?" Lily asked coldly as the compartment door slid open and James Potter walked in with his friends.

"Nothing," he said, "Except you."

"Really?" She asked, "Well, if you don't get out of here, I will!"

Lily pushed them out and shut the compartment door with a bang.

"So...I'm guessing that was James Potter?" Patricia asked apprehensively.

"Unfortunately," Lily replied, breathing loudly, "yes,"

It was silent for a moment. Then-

"Well...I think he's kinda cute," Patricia said, shrugging.

"You and every other girl on this cursed planet," Lily said.

"He didn't seem _that_ bad," Patricia told her, "Besides, he really seems to like you."

"_Like me_? You're kidding, right? Potter's an arrogant, self-centered jerk. The only one he could possibly like is himself." Patricia shrugged again.

"Anyone for a game of Gobstones?" asked Bella, "I got a new set for my birthday."

Emma and Patricia agreed. Alice decided to read, and Lily took out a thin green book.

Dear Diary,

I'm on the train ride to Hogwarts, so excuse me if my handwriting is messy. There's a new girl at Hogwarts, well, actually, 4 new girls. They're quadruplets. One of them, Patricia, is sitting with us(Emmeline, Alice, Bella, me) She(and her sisters) are transfer students. They're in my grade. Patricia seems nice enough, except for the minor detail that she likes James Potter...

Oh, don't get me started on him. How in the world did Potter get the Head Boy badge??? WHAT was Dumbledore thinking? Did his detention record somehow get erased? And if that's not enough, he has to be all sweet on me, acting as if he likes me or something. Does he actually think I believe him? It's so damn annoying. I know I have this outburst every two days, but I can't help it. James Potter is just the most irritating boy to walk the earth. And I'm the unluckiest girl to come across him.

Lily Evans

Sighing, Lily closed her diary and watched Emmeline, Patricia, and Bella play Gobstones. Emmeline was winning, and Patricia wasn't far behind. Poor Bella, who had suggested it in the first place, was losing badly.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Marauders Compartment-

"Right, Prongs, real smooth," Sirius commented.

"Shut up, Padfoot," James said, kicking the ground and sighing.

"You know, barging in like that _was_ really stupid," Remus said, frowning, "Now she knows you were eavesdropping."

James muttered something like 'wasn't my fault' and 'didn't mean to'.

"Shouldn't we start to plan our next prank?" Peter spoke up.

"Wormtail's right," Sirius said "We might lose our status otherwise."

They hovered together, talking in whispers and planning their prank. James added a few words like 'yeah' and 'I'll do that', but his heart wasn't really in it. The fun of prank playing had somehow worn off during the summer.

* * *

Lily, Bella, and Alice sat down at the Gryffindor table and watched as Professor McGonagall led the first years(and the Atners) up to the sorting hat. There was a considerably large amount of whispering going on, because Patricia, Penelope, Perinda, and Pindovia were hardly the size of most first years.

The sorting hat sang its song (A/N I really didn't know how to make one, so please excuse me).

"Patricia Atner," called Professor McGonagall from her list.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Penelope Atner,"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Perinda Atner,"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Pindovia Atner,"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Matthew Brown,"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Yvonne Caburn,"

"SLYTHERIN!"

and so on...

After everyone got sorted, Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome, all, to another fantastic year at Hogwarts," he said, "I have a few announcements to make. This year, we greet 4 new transfer students from Hagnats, Patricia, Penelope, Perinda, and Pindovia will you please stand?"

They stood up nervously. Penelope waved slightly.

"Yes, very good, ladies. Now, my second announcement is to tell you that Mr. Filch has added 12 new objects to the Forbidden Items list.If you wish to see it, it is posted on his office's door. The last, though not least, announcement warns new students that there is a reason the Forbidden Forest is called that. And now, our feast..." Professor Dumbledore finished.

The golden plates instantly filled with food of all kinds. Lily dug in, but couldn't help noticing that the Marauders were stealing peeks at the Slytherin table with extremely smug expressions.

_Uh oh,_ Lily thought, _Now what?_

She was about to question them when shrieks erupted from the Slytherin table. Lily whirled around. The Slytherin's foods had turned into bugs of every variety and were crawling all over them.

Professor McGonagall came over to see what the uproar was about. She took one look at the Slytherins and vanished the bugs with a swish of her wand.

"10 points from Gryffindor and detention for Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew," she said sternly.

"But we don't even have any points yet," complained Sirius.

"Yes we did," Remus said gloomily, "Every house starts with 50 points, remember?"

"Oh. Right." Sirius replied, running out of excuses.

"Not even one hour into the school year and they've already lost us 10 points," Lily said furiously.

"I _know_," Alice said, "I mean, Frank would never-,"

At that moment, Bella groaned.

"Are you still going out with him?" she asked.

"Well, uh, yeah," Alice said defensively.

"_Why?_"

"Because I like him, you dolt," Alice said.

"_Why?_"

"Because he's nice and sweet,"

"_Why?_"

"Because... because...oh shut up."

"Make me,"

"I will,"

"Do they always act like this?" Patricia asked Lily.

"No, just when they're talking about Frank. Unfortunately, that's a lot of the time."

A/N I know... strange way to end a chapter.


	5. Lily's Bad Day

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter…

A/N: Yes, I know it's been a loonnnnnnnngggg time since I updated. I had half of this typed up when my idiot computer lost it (along with all my other files!). So I re-typed it today. And here it is! Ta da!

**Chapter 5: Lily's Bad Day**

The first week of Hogwarts passed uneventfully. The Diamond was a hot topic amongst the students. The fact seemed to be, however, that the person who stole it hadn't been caught and the diamond was still missing. Many people had theories, but how close they were to the truth was anyone's guess.

Lily hadn't told anybody about the dream and she still wondered whether she had been right in treading it as a prank. For one thing, James wasn't taking credit for it, and he usually liked to take credit for his word. Instead, he was giving her (Lily) odd looks. James was also seen in the library, a rare sight, thought he never seemed to be doing homework.

A prefect meeting was held on Sunday of the next week. Lily arrived a few minutes early and was surprised to see that James was already there.

"What are you doing here?" Lily asked.

"It's a prefect meeting. I'm Head Boy. Heads are _supposed_ to come to prefect meetings," James explained.

"I _know_ that," Lily said, rolling her eyes, "But you're here early."

"So are you," James said pointedly.

"Yeah, well-," Lily started, but was saved the trouble of responding to what would have been a most embarrassing situation by the entrance of three chattering Ravenclaw prefects.

Lily and James sat in silence while everyone took their seats.

"All right," Lily said, "First order of business. We're going to pass out your patrolling schedules. It's very important that you don't forget to patrol. If you find a person or some people out after hours, you are to give them a _suitable_ punishment (she gave a sideways glance at James as she said this) approved by both your head of house and theirs."

She handed a few schedules to James and they passed them out.

"Second order of business," James said, ignoring Lily's warning glare, "We need a date for the first Hogsmeade trip. Any suggestions? It has to be a Saturday."

"How about November 2nd?" suggested a sixth year that was looking at her patrolling schedule with distaste.

"Or October 26th?" her friend said.

"All in favor of October 26th?"

10 hands shot in the air.

"November 2nd?"

15 hands.

"November 2nd it is, then," Lily said, scribbling it down.

They took care of a few more things, and then the meeting was adjourned. When it was over, Lily felt somewhat strange. She had come to the meeting expecting to have to tear her hair out in order to restore peace. Instead, the meeting had been, well, quite smooth.

Lily stood to leave, but James stopped her.

"Dumbledore told me that we have to plan the Graduation Ceremony for the 7th years. There's a commencement ceremony followed by a ball," He explained. "We don't need to start planning until March, though."

"Well, that's a relief," Lily said, "I'm way too busy right now."

* * *

The next day, Lily woke up on the wrong side of the bed. She banged her head on the wall and got an earsplitting headache while she was trying to put a sock on. Lily practically sleepwalked to breakfast, only to find the Great Hall deserted.

"What in the world?" she muttered, not quite awake. When Lily checked her watch and found it was 10 minutes past 9, she almost slapped herself.

"How…oh…how could…I…have…overslept?" Lily said breathlessly to herself as she sprinted toward her first class, Advanced Transfiguration.

Professor McGonagall was at the front of the room, explaining about Conjuring Spells (the incantation is-) when Lily burst in.

"Miss Evans," Professor McGonagall said, turning to Lily," Would you care to explain why you are late?"

Lily blushed. "No, not really," she said, looking at her feet, "Ma'am."

"Very well," Professor McGonagall said, "5 points from Gryffindor for tardiness – have a seat – I would've expected more from you, being head girl."

"Now, as I was saying," she continued, "The incantation for the very complicating Conjuring Spell is--,"

Sirius yawned, tuning out.

"I'm too advanced for Advance Transfiguration." He said, tilting his chair back and winking at a Ravenclaw girl.

"Right Padfoot, just keep telling yourself that," James said, rolling his eyes. He looked passed Sirius, to Lily. She was taking some notes. _I have to convince her that the dream was real, and not just some stupid prank, _he thought, _who would play such a lame prank, anyways? _For the remainder of the class, James hatched plans (most of them ridiculous and impossible) on how he could possibly persuade Lily of his innocence.

The bell rang, signaling the end of break. For James and Lily, it was time for Advanced Arithmancy, taught by Professor Stanton, a tall witch from the states. Lily was busy taking notes when she felt a sharp poke in the back. It was Potter, who sat right behind her (curse those seating arrangements!), handing her a crumpled piece of parchment.

(**BoldJames **_ItalicsLily_)

**Lily, look, I know you're mad at me, but listen, _I can't control your thoughts_!**

Lily stiffened.

_I don't know what you're talking about._

**You know-the dream.**

_What dream?_

**About the missing Diamond.**

_I don't remember._

**Asking us to find the Diamond?!**

_Oh, your dumb prank._

**It wasn't a prank!**

_So what was it? A joke? A hoax? A trick?_

**No, I think it was a message from Leroy Ledenhurl.**

_Mmhmm_

**I'm serious!**

_And I'm the Minister of Magic. You know, I don't even know why I'm bothering to reply to you. In fact, I'm just going to ignore you from-_

"Miss Evans," Lily was called the second time that day, this time by Professor Stanton, "Does what you are writing to Mr. Potter concern the lesson?" She had obviously been watching them closely.

"Uh, n-n-no," Lily stuttered. James winced. He would have denied he had been writing anything at all.

Professor Stanton held her hand out to take the parchment. Lily handed it to her shakily. Professor Stanton scanned it and narrowed her eyes.

"Detention," she said, "For both you and Mr. Potter."

Lily closed her eyes and counted to 10. She had NOT just gotten detention. She never got detention! NEVER! Lily was distinctly aware of some whispering around her.

* * *

The bell rang. Lily walked into the Great Hall in a trance-like state.

"Lily, are you okay?" Alice said as she sat down beside Lily. "I-uh-heard about what happened."

"How could I get detention?!?" Lily said hysterically.

"It's not that bad," Bella said, "Sheesh, I mean, it's just detention, not a death sentence or something."

"Listen to the girl," Alice said, "Take – the Marauders; they get detention all the time."

Unfortunately, this was the wrong example.

Lily's brain started to work again…Marauders…James Potter…Potter…HE was the reason she got detention!

Alice watched nervously as Lily stood up abruptly.

"Potter!" Lily shrieked. Everyone looked up.

"Lily!" Alice grabbed Lily's hand, but she broke free.

James realized what was happening and sprinted out of the Great Hall. Lily ran after him. People gradually went back to their lunch and the babble of talk broke out again.

"Should we go after her?" Alice asked worriedly.

"Let her deal with it. It's probably better for her to – calm down first," Patricia spoke up unexpectedly.

"I guess," Alice said.

* * *

"Potter!" James heard Lily yell from the other end of the table. Uh oh. He saw Lily coming after him.

"Guys…" James said to the other Marauders, "I think I'll see you…later."

He jumped up and ran out of the Great Hall, with Lily hot on his heels.

James had been running for a few minutes when a thought crossed his mind. _Why was he running? From a girl, of all things._ He skidded to a stop. Lily grabbed his shoulder and pushed him against the wall. _I guess that's why._

"Well…Hello, Lily," James said nervously. "N-nice day, isn't it? Wh-hat's up?

"What's up? WHAT'S UP?" Lily screamed, "YOU got me in DETENTION! That's what's up!"

"…well…not real-,"

"Shut up! You-do-not-have-the-right-to-talk!"

"O-okay – but-."

"But what? But it doesn't matter that_ you _got me in detention because you're James Potter, right? _You_ don't have to follow the rules or turn in homework or apologize, do you? You only care about yourself!"

"I-DO-NOT!"

Lily looked taken aback.

"It's just one lousy detention! If someone else got you in detention, you wouldn't be mad at _them_! If someone else told you that they had a dream about being chosen to sole a mystery, you would believe them! But if I do any of those things, you'd get mad at me! I'm SICK of it! I just can't do anything right in your eyes, can I? Sure, I've made mistakes, but everyone can forgive and forget, right? WRONG! And I do _NOT_ only care about myself! I have 3 loyal friends, which is more than most people can say!" James took a deep breath.

Lily's eyes looked a little red.

"Fine," she said, "Fine!" She ran out of the hall they were in.

"Lily?! Lily! I didn't mean that! I'm-sorry!" He finished resignedly.

James closed his eyes. He wished he had not let his temper get the better of him. It had just ruined his chances with the greatest girl on earth (in his opinion). It was just that slight on his supposed selfishness. That had hurt.

James heard footsteps behind him and turned around quickly.

"Who's there?"

It was Sirius.

"Hey…"

James breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head.

"Only you could be insensitive enough to follow me." He said.

"_Hey!_"

James laughed a little.

"So…are you okay?" Sirius said, studying his friend.

"Perfect. Couldn't be better," James said dully, "I just ruined my chances with the girl of my dreams. Let's party."

"You still have a _little_ chance…"

James gave him a look.

"Okay, so not really, but, hey, if at first you don't succeed, try try again."

"Since when do you say lame comments like that?" James asked, laughing.

"Learned it from Moony. He's an expert on lame comments," Sirius replied.

James laughed again.

"Why don't we head to the kitchens for some food?" Sirius asked, his stomach growling.

James checked his watch, "It's time for class, Padfoot."

"Oh, come on; don't tell me you're going soft, Prongs." Sirius said, shaking his head, "I'm afraid Evans has had a bad influence on you."

"I said we had class," James said pointedly, "I didn't say we were going."

"Whew," Sirius said, wiping imaginary sweat off his forehead. "For a second there, I thought-."

"Let's just go, Padfoot," James said, "You're boring me."

So they left.

A/N Now that you've read, REVIEW!!


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